Robert Zuppke

Robert Carl Zuppke (July 2, 1879 – December 22, 1957) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 1913 until 1941, compiling a career teacher football photo album of 131–81–12. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951, Zuppke coached his teams to national titles in 1914, 1919, 1923, and 1927. Zuppke's teams after that won seven Big Ten Conference championships. While at the University of Illinois, Zuppke was a member of the Alpha-Gamma chapter of Kappa Sigma. Among the players Zuppke coached at Illinois was Red Grange, the era's most celebrated educational football player. The ground at the University of Illinois's Memorial Stadium is named Zuppke Field in his honor. Zuppke is certified for many football inventions and traditions, including the huddle and the flea flicker. In 1914, he reintroduced the I formation.

Prior to coaching at the University of Illinois, Zuppke coached at Muskegon High School in Muskegon, Michigan, and Oak Park and River Forest High School in Oak Park, Illinois, where he tutored vanguard Pro Football Hall of Famer George Trafton and Olympic decathlete Harry Goelitz. Zuppke led the team to confess championships in 1911 and 1912. He had several coaching influences. He used some plays developed by Pop Warner.

Zuppke as a consequence was a writer and a Good art painter. From 1930 to 1948, Zuppke wrote the syndicated newspaper strip Ned Brant, drawn by Walt Depew. During the 1930s, Zuppke as well as wrote syndicated sports-related columns. As a painter, Zuppke was known for his rugged Western landscapes.